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Building Your Companys Network Security

Most people, if not all, are aware of the importance of network security. The more the systems, devices and elements that you put into place that protect your network and its contents, the more your system will be protected from outside threats.

For instance, wireless routers, cellular phones, PDA’s, etc. are all part of the everyday life of many people. With such devices getting into the wrong hands, an unsecured network can be a big problem.

When the manufacturer provides the system security, it should be the top priority. Having a stronger system will allow you to keep your network more secure, and in turn, provide you with the best possible performance for your business.

When you have the right security for your network, you can rest assured that the customer support service you will receive will be top-notch. That support will include information about the system updates, as well as updates in case there are any security breaches, or issues.

The staff at your company is always there to help you with network security issues. Keeping them updated on the system security will give them time to respond if something does happen.

If you have employees that you hire, make sure that they understand the importance of the system security. For instance, when they access sensitive information from the network, you want to be sure that it is encrypted to prevent unauthorized access.

Make sure that your business associates understand that when they are looking at the network security, they are putting their company at risk. Their employees should be provided with training to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes.

The best way to train your employees on the importance of network security is to provide them with training materials that explain how to do it right. The idea is to create a culture where your employees understand what they are doing and why it is so important.

There are different ways to accomplish this. You can use seminars, or simply keep a database of important information about your network security and other aspects.

Also, you can encourage your employees to improve their own knowledge on the subject. There is nothing wrong with giving them notes as you go along so that they can learn.

You can also train them in how to make use of the employee’s information. Of course, no matter how much they know, there will always be something that they don’t know.

You may even want to put the employees on a system of graded security training. This will force them to keep up with the times and to maintain their security even when they are out of the office.

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Client’s Web Site

The most common mistakes made by web developers have to do with leaving things unclear during the project instead of clarifying them in the very beginning.

Those mistakes cause misunderstandings with the client and they’ll make you work more, without getting payed as you should.

some mistakes are below;

  • Letting browser compatibility left unclear

Don’t be surprised if the client suddenly yells at you when they see PNG images with ugly backgrounds in their home PC browser (obviously they have Internet Explorer 6 installed).

You’ll then find yourself working 10 extra hours (at best) without getting another dime.

How to Avoid

In 2010, you can definitely leave IE6 out of the equation, or charge extra for it. Just make sure it’s clear before you even start building the new site.

To be fair with the clients though, tell them about it explicitly instead of just having it typed in small letters in the contract.

  • Having your client think that SEO is a built-in feature of web design

You gotta know those clients who think that having their site indexed in the first position in Google, is 2 hour work (some of them also think that once it’s there, their site will stay in this position forever).

How to Avoid

Make it clear that web design and SEO are two different things, even though they are not unrelated.

As a web developer you should know that there are 101 different ways to code a single web design, and the right way to choose is the one that has clean and optimized code that search engine crawlers like to crawl in.

It may sound strange to you, but your client may not even know that there are full time SEO experts in the world and that most of them didn’t create a single website in their entire careers (and they really didn’t have to, in order to become great SEO experts).

Let your client know that website optimization takes time. and money. lots of it in most cases. and that the top ranked websites work hard to stay top ranked all the time.

  • Not having a signed agreement on the design

Sure, there can be lots of minor design changes in the last minute – maybe the way that top menu looks like and the main headings’ font size.

But having the client come up with major design changes once most of the work is done, can be disastrous if you don’t get paid for it.

Case study

I once had a client who wanted the home page to have some more life to it.

When I ask him to be more specific, he showed me the website of his wife’s company which had a wonderful flash layout with great animations and flying menus.

Imagine that happening to you after finishing 80% of your work…

How to Avoid

Don’t let the major stuff left unmentioned in the contract. I know it’s easier when the site design is already given and all you have to do is code it, but that’s not always the case.

Try to get the contract to be as detailed as possible when signing it, and If you don’t know exactly what the client wants, ask them every single question you can think of – from the way their contact form should look like to which effects the image galleries should have.

Clients will like it if you offer them 3 extra hours (or 5 if you’re generous) of minor changes free of charge.

However, make sure to write down your hourly fee for extra changes as well.

  • Not mentioning domain registration and web hosting costs to your client

While for you it may be a natural fact that websites come to life only after someone purchased a domain name and hosted them somewhere, it may not be as trivial to your client.

Case study

In one of my Word-press projects I didn’t make the first three mistakes, but one thing that I forgot was to discuss the web hosting with the client.

After completing the project, I offered him to host the new website in my web hosting Linux Server.

The client however, insisted that the website should be hosted in the company’s Windows 2003 server with IIS6 where all the other web apps are stored.

I then had to learn by trial and error which PHP and mysql package to install, and how to adjust the entire package including plug-ins to the Win environment.

When you’re used to tools like PHPmyAdmin, .htaccess and other Linux/Apache features, it can be really tedious work to find your way in those Win servers.

How to Avoid

Explain to the client how it works and what are the costs.

Let them know you can help in the registration process (if it’s not done already) and you will take care of launching their site and the hosting of their choosing.

In spite of all the above, don’t ever underestimate or look down on your client.

Be humble and cautious while patiently getting to know your clients, as you might be surprised of how much they actually know.